her back across a ceiling, a race of murderous bird warriors and a huge ring enclosing a living eyeball. To fend of f such powerful villainy, he relies on his prowess with a broadsword and a host of animal allies: a huge black panther, an eagle and two ferrets.

For Singer, a classically trained stage actor who received an L.A. Drama Critics Circle award for a 1974 Shakespeare performance, making "The Beastmaster" was like undergoing Marine Corps basic training.

He fought two men who were on fire. He lunged beneath a horse that was rearing above his head. He slid down a 30-foot rope. He dashed between two burning pillars. He was dragged by a dog through a fence. He was clawed by an eagle and nearly trampled by charging horses.

Singer worked for weeks with a Seattle trainer learning to use a custom-made broadsword. He ran for five miles each day through the Hollywood Hills near his home to build his strength and endurance.

The star later remarked that if he had not been proficient in martial arts, he would not have been able to carry out most of the awesome physical chores his role demanded. As it was, he undertook all but the most dangerous stunts.

There was, of course, much work for the stunt crew under coordinator Steve Boyum. In fact, the initial budget for stunts was depleted in the first week of shooting, and had to be augmented.